Lindy Li, a former Democratic fundraiser who switched party affiliation over unheeded warning signs about President s decline in the 2024 election, is revealing new details about the red flags the party blew by.
“Whatever was out there, it wasnt the truth. They wanted him to go, and also in my book, I will be telling people exactly who was aware of Bidens cognitive decline but pretended otherwise,” Li told Fox News Digital during a phone interview.
Li, who is publishing a new book titled “Unburdened” later this year, adds to the picture of the internal discussions, the research, and the panic behind the scenes of the Democratic Party, indicating that Biden enjoyed only shaky support even among his own camp long before he ultimately dropped out of the 2024 election.
Above all, Li said she was shocked by some of the party’s leading figures who expressed reservations behind the scenes about Bidens decline, but remained in public.
“I remember getting a text from Schiff,” Li said, referring to D-Calif., then a Democratic candidate for Senate and top Democrat in the House of Representatives.
“I have it in my book. Basically, Adam Schiff was â I cant remember what he said on TV, but Im telling you right now that behind the scenes he very much wanted [Biden] to go.”
A spokesperson for Schiff responded to Li’s claims, noting that the Senator had made his doubts about Biden known publicly after a 2024 debate where the president stumbled over his words, lost his train of thought and spoke in a whispery voice that, at times, was difficult to understand. He eventually called for Biden to step aside that July
“The Senators concerns and call on President Biden to not run was very public, so none of this is news,” the spokesperson said.
But even beyond Schiff, Li, who ran a formidable operation for the party and was connected with a wide swath of its figures, said that many figures who were hesitant about Bidens cognitive abilities were afraid of putting themselves in the path of his political momentum.
“They didnt want to get Its like the axiom: you come at the king; you better not miss. Everyone would have missed,” Li said.
Li said that fear was bolstered by internal research the party had done, indicating that had the capital to challenge Biden.
“There are many candidates who and then realized that they couldnt beat him in a primary. It wasnt a matter so much of anti-Trumpism. It was self-interest,” Li said.
“Ive seen the and I also include that in my book â polling no one has seen before.”
Li said that internal discussion had also revealed that Harris wasnt considered a particularly strong candidate to take on Bidens mantle.
” in the field,” Li said.
“I also have polling data right before Kamala ascended. We stacked her against Buttigieg, Newsom, Shapiro, Whitmer â all of them,” Li said, referring to a handful of other key figures in the Democratic Party
Along with fears about going after Biden and coming up short, Li said she believes the Bidens â particularly Joe Biden â inspired a sense of loyalty in the people around him that was hard to shake.
“He had decades of loyalty â his bond with people like James Clyburn,” Li explained, referring to the chief Biden ally who had helped steer the party for decades.
“Theres something about Joe Biden. He was incredibly kind,” Li said.
